Singled Out: Meredith Lazowski's December

Keavin Wiggins | 06-21-2022

Photo by Jen Squires courtesy Skye Media

Meredith Lazowski just released her brand album, "Other Way Home", and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the song "December". Here is the story:

The song "December," from my new album, is one I would love to share more about. I did not end up releasing it as a single, yet this song holds a special place in my heart as it was the first song I ever wrote and therefore my oldest tune.

I wrote it when I was about 13 or 14 after I had just started learning how to play guitar. Even though that was many years ago, I remember reflecting on life and transitions. How the people, friends, even family in my life at that current moment would never be the same as they currently were; my relationship with them would shift, evolve, and change as I continued to grow up. It would never be still or static, and it was something that I was slightly nervous about, but I was also curious about the unknown.

This was a song I grew up playing with my family during living room or fireside jam sessions, and at high school and university performances. Later, I ended up playing the track solo at the Bluebird Cafe open mic in Nashville, which was a catalyst for getting back into playing music.

I have fond memories of my sister and mom singing harmonies and my dad acompanying me on guitar - it really was a song that would bring us together to play. Because of how special this song was to not only me, but also my family, I was lucky enough to include them on the recording. My sister, Bronwyn Lazowski, sang harmonies on the song (and all the other tracks on the album that had harmonies), my Dad played the electric guitar solo on the song, and my mom, who is a talented writer, was influential in helping me create and write a lot of the marketing materials for the album as a whole.

During the recording of the album at Union Sound in Toronto, Canada, we finished all 10 songs with the full band in three days. Then, on the fourth day, we had pedal steel and fiddle recorded. On the final and fifth day, I sang any additional overdubs, and my family joined me for the last half of the day, where my sister did harmonies for "December" and my Dad recorded the electric guitar solo. It was so special to have them be a part of and witness the experience of being in the recording studio. It was a first for all of us, so it was overwhelming but also incredibly exciting.

It makes this album become more of a full circle; having my family be a part of it was something extremely special and a memory we will have for our lifetimes.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the album here